Metal Wings
by kayashi
Summary: Ed and Al go to a small town on a mission. While there, they uncover a small boy whos past is unlike anything they can imagine. I'm not very good at sumaries....
1. Boy

**Metal Wings**

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters.

Chapter 1: Boy

Two figures walked down a dusty, dirt road toward town. One, covered in shiny armor, clanking as it took long strides. The other was a short teenage boy wearing a red coat with a black shirt and matching pants. A pair of white gloves covered the boy's hands.

"Brother…" the one in armor began.

"Yeah, Al?" replied the boy in red.

"Do you think Colonel Mustang had something else in mind for us when he sent us here?"

"Alphonse, that guy always has something in his mind to make our lives a living hell." The two made their way to the entrance of town in silence before the one in armor, Al, spoke again.

"But Ed, why do you think he would send us to a town like this? I mean, it doesn't look like a small town like this could have much for the military to be interested in."

The boy called Edward stuck his right hand into his pocket and grasped it around a silver pocket watch. "The military doesn't need a reason…."

Leaving the conversation at that, they walked through town, finding where everything was for future reference. The streets here were also made of dry, dusty dirt. They passed a bar, a pharmacy, and a market. As the two wandered through town they passed many interesting looking people. Most of them seemed as if they got along in life well enough, probably as farmers or merchants or running some family business. However there were a few people lying out on benches. Some had small boxes with their valuables in them. Others had boxes sticking out of alleys as a makeshift home.

"Brother, why don't we go check into our hotel?" Al suggested.

"Sure…." Ed replied looking away from the beggars.

Walking toward the hotel, they came upon a group of boys walking toward one of the alleys near their hotel. They had sticks in their hand and looked like they were ready for a fight. The oldest looking one went in first. Shouting was heard as the others quickly followed. A couple minutes later a black dog shot out of the alley. Taking a quick sniff of the air, it turned its head toward the direction of Ed and Al. Running towards them; it grabbed a hold of Ed's jacket and tugged in the direction it came from. Letting go it took a few steps before looking back at them.

"I think it wants us to follow it, brother."

"Yeah….let's go."

As they got closer to the alley, the dog started growling and ran towards it. Breaking into a run, Ed and Al could hear thumps and yells coming from the alley. Reaching the entrance, their eyes widened at what they saw. The group of boys was beating something as the dog fought to protect it.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Ed said. The boys stopped and turned around. A murmur went through the group as the oldest one stepped through them.

"What does it matter to you?"

"And who are you? The leader? I asked you a question."

"Yeah, I am. And we were just havin some fun with our pal over there."

"Your pal? You mean that there's a person over there?"

"So what if there is?"

Ed got into a fighting stance. "I suggest you leave. Now."

"Your going to make all of us leave? Yeah right. Ok, boys, go get him!"

"I warned you." Ed reached his left hand up to his other arm and pulled of his glove to reveal a metal arm. He then proceeded to transmute it into a blade. The boys that had been running at him stopped in their tracks. Their leader came up in front to see why they had stopped. Catching site of Ed's blade, the teen put on an awkward smile and said "We were just kidding, ya know." Ed stepped to the side as He ran out of the alley, the rest of the boys following behind.

Ed and Al watched as the dog walked over to a limp form in the corner of the alley. "C'mon, Al. Lets check it out." The two brothers walked over to the end of the alley to make sure the person was ok. Telling the dog to move and bending down to get a closer look at the person, Ed gasped at what he saw. A little boy, no more then eleven was lying on the cold ground by some blankets and a box. However, this wasn't what made Ed gasp. It wasn't all the wounds on the boy either. This little boy was missing limbs, both arms and his left leg to be exact.

I'm going to stop there for now. Tell me what you think of it so far by reviewing.


	2. Name

Metal Wings

Sorry for not updating in a while, I had a busy summer, and that the last chapter was so short. It looked a lot longer at first.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters.

_The boy was missing both arms and his left leg…_

Chapter 2: Name

Ed reached out to check the boy's pulse with his left hand. The dog behind him gave a light growl as if warning Ed that he better not hurt the kid. Al reached down and petted the dog lightly on the head to calm it down as Ed stood.

"Al, help me carry him to the inn. We need to take care of his wounds." Ed said gesturing to the boy.

"I agree that we can't just leave him here, but the colonel only listed a room for me and you. We can't take a third person in without paying and we don't have enough money to do that."

Ed thought for a moment before telling Al to open the front of his armor and gently putting the young boy inside. The dog barked in protest when the brothers started to walk away but quieted when Al told it that it was going to be okay and they weren't going to harm the boy.

The brothers walked into the inn. It was well furnished with wooden chairs around a fireplace and a small breakfast area in the far corner. The pair walked over to the man at the reception desk to check in.

"Name?" the clean-shaven man asked.

"Elric." Ed replied as the man looked through the alphabetized papers.

"Mr. Edward and Mr. Alphonse Elric?" the clerk questioned.

"Yep that's us."

"Okay, Mr. Elric. Your room is on the second floor number two zero two. Here is your key. And might I suggest your armored friend take a shower? He smells like he lives in the streets."

Al put a hand behind his head and let out a small uncertain laugh as Ed quickly came up with an excuse. "Well, you see….when we came into town…we, uh; we walked through a lot of farms and stuff…so…." _'God, that was lame!' _Ed and Al both thought.

To their surprise the clerk just laughed and said it happens all the time. The brothers sweat dropped and walked toward the stairs leaving the still laughing man at the desk.

Once in their room, Al opened his armor and Ed gently lifted the boy onto the bed. Reaching into his bag, Ed brought out some bandages that Al had insisted he bring, claiming that Ed was always getting into trouble. Slipping off the boy's tattered shirt Ed saw that this boy must have been through quite a lot in his life. He had numerous scars across his chest and back. There were bruises and cuts ranging in size and severity all over. A few bigger and deeper cuts looked as though they might be infected.

"Alphonse, get a warm bath ready. It won't do much good to bandage him up with all this dirt and blood on him."

"Okay." Al replied and left right away. Ed studied the boy for a while. It was easy to tell that he was malnourished. His ribs and collarbone jutted out and his cheeks had a sunken look. The boy's eyes were shut tight and his brows were furrowed together. Even in sleep he was haunted by hardships and monsters created in his mind from events in the past. Ed knew this for he too experienced those occasionally. Ed was broken out of his musings when Al came out to say the bath was ready.

"Here." Ed said handing Al a small pouch of money. "Go buy some clothes for the boy….and food, too."

Turning around, Ed picked the small boy's body up and carried him to the bathroom. The boy whimpered a bit when he was stripped of the rest of his clothes and put into the steamy water. After a few seconds, the water had turned a murky brown from the dirt on the young boy's skin. Reaching for a cloth and some soap, Ed began to gently wash the boy's body, being careful of the large cuts on his body.

After Ed was done cleaning him, he leaned over to grab a small bottle to wash the boy's hair with. To his surprise, he found himself staring into a pair of half-closed grey blue eyes. The boy was staring blankly ahead as if in another world. Suddenly as Ed's hand hesitantly touched his head, the boy yelped and his shoulders jerked. Turning a pair of fearful eyes toward Ed he pushed himself back with one leg, pressing himself up against the bathroom wall.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Please, don't hurt me!" the boy whined, tears starting to pool in his eyes.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold it. I'm not going to do anything to you." Ed said. "I just want to help you. You were unconscious in the street and we didn't want to just leave you. So we brought you to our room in the inn." The boy relaxed some, convinced that he was safe….for now.

"Do you want me to finish washing your hair?" Ed asked. The boy thought for a moment before nodding his head slightly. They sat in silence while Ed ran his hands through the other boy's hair, being careful of the large tangles so as not to pull his hair. Ed grimaced slightly when his hand ran over a dent in the boy's head.

When he was done, Ed grabbed a dry towel and lifted the boy out of the now brown water, dried him off and wrapped the boy in it. Picking him up again, Ed carried the boy out to the bedroom and laid him on the bed.

"Edward Elric."

"Huh?"

"That's my name. Edward Elric."

"Oh. I-I'm Hiro…"

Ed smiled. "Nice to meet you Hiro. Now…I'm going to bandage you up a bit. It might hurt so just bear with me."

Hiro nodded his head as Ed helped him into a sitting position. Starting with the more severe wounds, Ed treated the boy until he was satisfied with how he did his job. Al walked in a couple minutes after he was done and together they dressed the boy and laid him down again.

Al turned around to go make something to eat only to see Hiro staring at him. He moved his hand to wave at the boy but learned that was a bad idea when Hiro tensed up and clenched his eyes shut as if waiting for him to strike. Ed watched them in interest as every move Al made Hiro would follow with his eyes. Finally, Ed sighed and walked over to the bed.

"Hiro, he's not going to hurt you, either. He's my little brother, Alphonse. But you can call him Al."

"…Little…?"

Ed clenched his fists, trying to keep his temper checked. "Yes, little."

After one last glance at Al, Hiro closed his eyes and fell into another restless sleep.

Please review. I want to know what is good or bad about my story, and what I should work on.


	3. Glimpses

**Metal Wings**

Sorry for not updating in a while. I have been pretty busy with school and sports and haven't had much time to write. This chapter is short but if you can be patient, I promise the next chapter will be longer. I just wanted to get something out there.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

_He fell into a restless sleep…._

Chapter 3: Glimpses

He couldn't breathe. He was struggling under a pair of strong arms as they held him up against a wall. A small stream of blood ran down his cheek from a gash in his head that mixed with his salty tears. His vision started to darken as the dark figure in front of him gave a maniacal grin. His eyes started to slip close. Another pair of arms grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, yelling something incoherent. His lungs burned from lack of oxygen and consciousness was slowly eluding him. The shaking became faster, more forceful. He started to make out some of the words – '...up…Hiro… Wake Up….WAKE UP HIRO!'

Hiro's eyes snapped open with a startled yelp. A dark shadow towered above him, hands on his shoulders. Hiro immediately recalled his dream and started to squirm under the light pressure. The figure pressed a little more forcefully as his voice drifted through the room.

"Hiro, it's me! Ed Elric! Calm down. You just had a dream, that's all." The figure moved forward and his face was illuminated by the moonlight shining through the window. Worried golden eyes gazed down at the younger boy's tear-filled ones. The boy was clearly shaken as his eyes were constantly wandering around the room and sweat slowly dripped off his brow. Finally, his gazed settled upon Edwards. For a moment, Ed was stunned at how many emotions were reflected in his eyes- pain, betrayal, fear…but he quickly dismissed them and went on to comfort Hiro.

Ed lifted his hands off the boy's shoulders and brought one up to move the hairs plastered to Hiro's face and used the other to help him sit up. Propping him up against a couple pillows, Ed asked Hiro "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"No." Hiro replied with a shake of his head.

"You sure?" Ed questioned.

Hiro nodded his head. Ed replied with a half-hearted 'ok' and went to grab a glass of water on Hiro's request. After helping him drink, Ed laid Hiro back down and made sure he was comfortable.

"Ya know," Ed said as he stood up, "we aren't going to hurt you. We just want to help. If you need anything, just tell me or Al. Ok?" Ed was answered by a short grunt of acknowledgement. Turning and moving toward his own bed, Ed said a quick 'good night' to Hiro and tip-toed past Al, who was sitting down in the corner.

I know its short, but please review.


	4. Dog

**Metal Wings**

I finally found time to write! Fall sport season is over, so I will hopefully have more extra time. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer- I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist….

Chapter 4 –

The rest of the night was mostly peaceful with Hiro only waking up on a few more occasions. In the morning, Ed and Hiro woke up to the smell of pancakes drifting through their room. Ed dragged himself out of bed and into the kitchen to help Al make them. Hiro just laid there with his head turned toward the window, watching as the sunlight filtered through and illuminated the room. His eyes widened suddenly as he remembered something….

"Where's Fayt?" He questioned, looking toward the kitchen. The brothers glanced at each other before looking in Hiro's direction.

"Fayt?" They asked in unison.

"He's my dog…" Hiro answered, going on to explain how he had had the dog since he was little and how it was always with him. After Ed had explained that they left the dog in the alley, which left an unhappy Hiro, he asked Al to go retrieve Fayt after they ate. With an enthusiastic 'sure', Al finished cooking the last of the pancakes and piled them onto a plate.

Ed poured two cups of water as Al grabbed another plate and walked over to Hiro's bed. After propping Hiro up against some pillows, Ed sat down at the edge of the bed and put a few pancakes on the extra plate. Grabbing a fork, he cut off a piece and went to feed Hiro. Of course this was not only embarrassing for the boy, but he also did not completely trust the brothers yet, and at first he refused to open his mouth. However, after some coaxing from Ed, and the pain in his stomach from not eating, he reluctantly allowed himself to be fed.

Soon, Hiro was done and Ed ate his breakfast. As promised, Al went and got Fayt from the alley and snuck him back into the inn. Once they were in the room the dog immediately jumped onto Hiro's bed and started licking his face. He brought the stump of his right arm, which ended a little above where his elbow would be, and patted Fayt on the head.

"Hey, boy. I missed you." Hiro whispered into the dog's neck. Fayt answered with a small bark, as if saying 'don't worry.'

"He's a nice dog." Ed began, "Mind if I pet him?"

"Yeah, me too?" Al followed.

Hiro shook his head as he said that he didn't mind. The brothers walked over to the bed and patted the short, soft hair. It was a light tan color with some white and dark brown mixed in. Its ears were pointed and Fayt's long tail waged happily.

After a few minutes of this, Ed and Al got up and went to clean up breakfast. Fayt curled up in a spot by Hiro and laid there while his head was softly patted by the boy. Hiro drifted into a daze. His eyes slowly slipped closed and his breathing became slow and steady. About thirty minutes later, he was woken up by Ed shaking him lightly.

"Me and Al are going to go out for a bit. We have to do some investigating or else this guy we know is going to have our hides when we get back home." Ed said with a slight sigh and a certain voice of annoyance.

"Why? Where are you going?" Hiro questioned him.

"We're going out toward the farms on the east side of town. We were sent here on a mission from the military to investigate a supposed murder and abuse case that happened a few years ago. The house was burned, but we have to find what evidence we can."

"...you mean you work for the military? What division?" he said with a bit of edge to his voice.

"Well, I'm a state alchemist…the Fullmetal Alchemist to be exact!"

Hiro tightened a fist in Fayt's fur and the dog made a light growl at this statement. 'I see….'was all he said while turning his head toward the window.

" Somethin' wrong? Ed asked. Hiro just shook his head, his eyes shadowed by his bangs. After a few moments, he let out a half-hearted 'no'. Unconvinced, but not wanting to argue, Ed grabbed Al's arm and said he was ready to leave. On the way out, Ed grabbed a sandwich and set it on the stand by the bed, knowing that Hiro would find someway to eat it.

"I don't know how long we will be gone, so here is a sandwich and some water. You can sort of feed your self, right?"

"Yeah" he answered coldly, "I don't need your help." Ed glanced at Hiro before shrugging his shoulders and walking out the door with Al.

Back in the room, Hiro finally tore his gaze away from the window to reveal a tear-streaked face. He buried his head in the crook of his dog's neck, tears still falling. "Why?" he asked as he balled his fists. "Why….d-does it have to be l-like this?"

The only answer he got was a soft almost purr-like growl from Fayt. For hours Hiro sat like that, and Fayt was content to just sit there and listen to the boys chocked sobs. Eventually, the boy fell asleep….but this time there was no one to wake him up from the hellish nightmares he experienced every night. It was a constant reminder of what had happened to him and his family. The cries of help he could never forget…the mad gleam of the man's eyes…and the pain…those were what haunted him. Those were what made him wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in a cold sweat. Those were the memories of the small boy named Hiro.

Review! Do you like it? Hate it? Please tell me. Constructive flames are welcome.


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